Obituary: Karen S. Visel 1949-2017

On the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 Karen S. Visel was taken from this world suddenly and without warning, at home in the arms of the man who has loved her and been by her side for more than 46 years, Tom Visel.

Karen was born to Yvon C. Wallace and Lois E. Wallace on July 24, 1949. She grew up in Banning, surrounded by a large family and close friends who remained important to her for the rest of her life. She met Tom in 1970 and they were married within a year, moving to Northern California where she worked for the Forest Service, fought wildland fires, wrote for local newspapers and gave birth to two daughters, Alexae and Kelly.

The family returned to Idyllwild in 1984. Karen became active in the community as a writer, Girl Scout troop leader, member of the Idyllwild Master Chorale and, eventually, took a job as a local librarian. She worked as the Idyllwild School Librarian for 23 years, delighting in helping children discover what she herself loved so much, story telling.

Karen came from a long line of storytellers, evident in both her passion for reading and her interest in genealogy; she filled entire filing cabinets with every bit of family lore she could find, especially reveling in the salacious bits. No one can tell a tale like a Wallace and Karen’s stories are no exception; she told astounding tales of chasing off bears in the yard and rescuing a dazed owl named Poot, and had a slightly mischievous account of accidentally getting a pastor drunk on dandelion wine.

She wrote children’s books, articles, little poems, and more than a few clever letters to friends and family.

Karen is survived by her husband Tom and two children, Alexae and Kelly.

The family asks that you refrain from sending flowers, rather wishing to continue Karen’s legacy with the thing she was most passionate about — literacy. You can make a gift in her name to www.proliteracy.org or support your local libraries. You can also honor her by reading to your children, or picking up a banned book and loving it cover to cover.